Station Decorated for Holidays as Crew Studies Life in Space

Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti is in the holiday spirit as the station is decorated with stockings for each crew member and a tree.

It’s beginning to look like Christmas on the International Space Station. The stockings are out, the tree is up and the station residents continue advanced space research to benefit life on Earth and in space.

A wide array of research work took place Tuesday with scientists on the ground, working in conjunction with the astronaut lab assistants, exploring different fields.

Behavioral testing was scheduled Tuesday for the Neuromapping study to assess changes in a crew member’s perception, motor control, memory and attention during a six-month space mission. Results will help physicians understand brain structure and function changes in space, how a crew member adapts to returning to Earth and develop effective countermeasures.

Another study is observing why human skin ages at a quicker rate in space than on Earth. The Skin B experiment will provide scientists a model to study the aging of other human organs and help future crew members prepare for long-term missions beyond low-Earth orbit.

Samantha and to all of You, Expedition 42, Frontier Explorers, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year 2015 and thank you for demonstrating the possibility that current earthly bound Humankind can eventually thrive beyond planet Earth …

I monitor Spot the Station and wave to you when you’re over my house in VT. Lately we’ve had too much cloud cover to see the evening sky in this region. Just want to wish you all a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you may like to celebrate.

Just had a photograph taken watching the Spacestation going over our house in Bolsover, Derbyshire, U.K. When we zoomed in we could see the structure, amazing !!! Our 3 year old nephew thinks Santa is on his way !! Have a pleasant flight and a safe return. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all. Best wishes from the Hall family.

Hi iss it was good to see you fly over United kingdom Leicestershire at around 17.22 to night loved it first time I ever seen you. Have a merry Christmas up there and make it a good one. Same go to nasa control on the ground MERRY CHRISTMAS 🙂

If this works and gets to you all on the space station, which is not very likely.
me and my three boys watched you fly over are heads around 5:20 pm bst. which made them not sleep tonight thinking you were Santa… We all thought it was very cool to see.. Which made me to look into who is up there.. Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. Hope you get what you want xx

If this works and gets to you all on the space station, which is not very likely.
me, my partner and my three boys watched you fly over are heads around 5:20 pm bst. which made them not sleep tonight thinking you were Santa… We all thought it was very cool to see.. Which made me to look into who is up there.. Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. Hope you get what you want xx

Thank you for sending the space station very close over my home in England, on 24th Dec. 2014. It was wonderful to see it. Nice to see you Christmas decorations hung up in the Space Station. Very Happy Christmas to you all.

I understand this Christmas gag, but please dont forgett, there are billions of people world wide with different religions, and Space is for and from everyone, and this is International Space Station. and not Vatican Station.

(I am not critizising the religion of my parents). Just an opinion.
Hugs from Spain 😀

Merry christmas fron Palestine! Amazing to see the christmas spirit in space!

By the way, please tell Barry that some of the christmas photos he took were of Palestine. More precisely the West Bank with Bethlehem etc. He embarrasingly named the wrong country. Not to worry, we cant all be good at everything 😉

Happy New Year to all of the crew , and thank you . I hve just been listening to Chris Hadfield on the BBC’s Infinite Monkey Cage , and he spoke of the Space Station Christmas Tree , that its hung upside down , and there it is !!!! All the very best in the New Year to all the crews in Space and on Earth .